TMNT: Family Bonds
by EagleHeart75
Summary: April and Casey are happily married and now have a daughter. The Hamato's clan has grown even further as the brothers and Splinter welcome the new edition into the family. However, the turtles soon discover that the dark forces of their enemies pose a threat to tear their lives to pieces. Can their Family Bonds keep them together no matter what?
1. Chapter 1

TMNT: Family Bonds

Chapter 1: A new arrival

Hundreds of feet below the city of New York's surface, past an intricate maze of sewer pipes and tunnels, four mutant turtle brothers and their rat master sat around a small table in their rather small, but comfortable living room. Each one of them was waiting for something, some old friend of theirs to return with the best news possible.  
At this certain point in time, the Jones's had left for the hospital many hours earlier, to await the birth of their new baby boy or girl. For the past several hours, the group of brothers and their master had patiently been waiting to meet the new arrival.

"How much longer do you think they'll be?" Mikey piped up, his excitement almost full to bursting. Smiling at his brother's expression, Donatello replied, calm and to the point as always.

"I got a message from April a few minutes ago, they're heading back from the hospital and they shouldn't be too much longer" Groaning, Mikey slumped down in his seat and folded his arms.

"I just want to know if it's a boy or a girl" he whined. Chuckling slightly, the old rat Sensei spoke to his youngest son.

"Patience Michelangelo, soon you shall know" Nodding, the orange-masked turtle sat up straight, keeping his eyes fixed firmly on the lair's entrance.  
Breathing a deep sigh, Leonardo sat back in his chair, his mind drifting to various odd places instead of it's usual focused state. Noticing his brother's somewhat vacant expression, Raphael smirked before jokingly nudging his arm.

"What's the matter fearless? Too impatient to wait like Mikey?" Rolling his eyes, Leonardo straightened his posture and also turned to face the lair door. Smiling to himself slightly, he spoke.

"It's hard to believe that Casey and April have finally managed to start a family" Nodding in agreement, Raphael also gave a small smile.

"Yeah, they've been trying for a long time..."  
It was the Sai-Wielder's turn to lose himself in his own thoughts. His mind wandered back to a few months before, back when the happy couple had first broken the wonderful news to them, he couldn't remember the last time everyone had been so excited. Casey himself had been especially overjoyed at the news. It made the red-masked turtle glad to see his buddy settled down and happy at last.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps was heard coming from outside the lair. As the clan all stood up from the couches, the couple in question walked in. Casey had his arm wrapped protectively around April's shoulder, his eyes holding a warm, proud glow in them. April herself looked rather tired, but from how brightly she was smiling you would have never guessed. And in her arms, wrapped in a white blanket and dressed in a tiny pink dress was their new-born baby girl.

"Hi everyone" the redhead said in a gentle voice. Unable to contain his excitement any longer, Mikey rushed over to the new family, his big blue eyes practically popping out of his head in hope.

"Can I hold her?" he pleaded.

"Mikey! Let them sit down first at least" Donnie said, shaking his head. Nodding, the orange-masked hurried back to the seating area as fast as he could. As soon as the two new parents had sat down, the words of congratulations made their way from around the group.

"Congrats you guys!" Mikey cheered, a huge smile stretching from cheek to cheek.

"Congratulations both of you" Leo said with a polite smile and a bow of his head.

"I'm really happy for you guys" Donnie said kindly, reaching over and patting April gently on the shoulder. Rising from his seat, Splinter bowed towards the Jones's, warmth and welcome in his voice.

"My Congratulations to you, Mr and Mrs Jones"  
Last of all, it was Raphael's turn to speak up.

"Good job Case" Raph said with a wink and a thumbs up.

There was a wonderful warm feeling surrounding the room, making it seem even more cosy than it already was. With a chuckle and a grin, Casey proceeded to address the group.

"Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet the newest member of the Jones's clan, little Ms Summer Jones" Adjusting her arms slightly, April allowed the group to take a proper look at the new baby girl. The top of her tiny head was covered in a little tuft of red hair and her eyes were big and bright. She seemed to be looking around the room, taking In all the new strange things surrounding her. Stroking her daughter's cheek gently, April turned to Mikey with a smile.

"You can take turns holding her now if you like" Freezing up a little, Mikey nodded, holding his arms out to make ready. Slowly and carefully, April placed Summer in the youngest turtle's arms and let him hold her. Staring into the tiny girl's bright eyes, Mikey's smile grew even bigger.

"Hey there tiny person, I'm your uncle Mikey, and I'm here to teach you everything you need to know about video games and other important stuff!" the look in the orange-masked turtle's eyes was one of irrepressible delight, like he finally had someone younger than him to teach the things he was good at. After a minute or so, he very carefully passed baby Summer onto Donnie.  
As the family genius studied the face of the tiny newborn, he was filled with a warmth he couldn't describe.

"Hi little Summer...I'm Donnie,...if you ever have trouble with science homework, I'm the one to call" this earned chuckles from the rest of the clan, but the purple-masked turtle couldn't care less.

After he had took his turn, the family genius transferred the newborn into the arms of the group leader. This took Leonardo by surprise, as for once in his life, he had no idea what to say. But after a few moments, he stopped caring and simply said the first thing that popped into his head.

"I'm so happy to meet you little one, I'm Leo...I just hope that you grow to like me" With that, the blue-masked leader handed little Summer over to his Sensei. Taking a few moments of silence, the old rat observed the small child with experience. Chuckling lowly, he spoke to her in his usual calm tone of voice.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Summer Jones, I only hope you do not grow up as too much of a troublemaker" he said, casting eyes towards his four sons, earning their laughter in response.

At last it came the turn of Raphael. Tensing up, the Sai-Wielder hesitated taking the baby out of the arms of his sensei.

"Uh, Case, you sure this is such a good idea? I mean, she's so little and all" Laughing at his friend's nervous expression, Casey nodded.

"Go on, she won't bite you" taking a composing breath, Raphael took a careful hold of Summer in his arms, making sure to support her tiny head. It felt odd to the red-masked turtle to hold something so small and delicate in his arms, he feared that if he moved too sharply he might break her. As the tiny girl stared up at him with her big wide eyes, he felt his normal fierce appearance melt away into nothing, and in it's place, a warm smile appeared.

"Hey there gorgeous..." he said the words in a such a soft voice that his brothers could only stare in surprise.

"I'm Raphael, and if anybody dares to lay a hand on you, they'll have to deal with me ok?" all baby Summer could do was blink in reply, but the point was made nonetheless. Smiling, Splinter rose from his chair and spoke.

"Shall we move to the kitchen area and have refreshment to celebrate the joyful occasion?" One by one, the group left the sitting area, eventually leaving only Raph and the baby still sitting. Looking down once more, Raph gave the most gentle smile he could and spoke in a voice to match.

"Welcome to the family kiddo"


	2. Chapter 2

TMNT: Family Bonds

Chapter 2. Growing Pains

*/AN/*

Hi guys, I just wanted to thank all of you who have read, followed and reviewed my story thus far. Firstly, I feel that I should apologize for this chapter being rather short, but I have been rather busy lately, so sorry about that. :)  
Just to clear any issues up, this story is set in the 2003-2007 world of the turtles, although there'll undoubtedly be references to the original series at one point or another. I should point out that it has been a while since I watched this particular series, but it did serve as my first introduction to the Ninja Turtles, so I felt that it was well worth writing a story about. If you have any questions or suggestions regarding this story or anything else related to it, feel free to PM me.  
Hope you enjoy, and please review! :)

* * *

Over the next few months, the brothers started to see less and less of the Jones's. With the new baby as well as work, the couple found it hard to fit in time to visit their mutant friends. On one occasion there was a rather heated discussion between the two spouses regarding Casey and Raphael's night-time vigilantisms, with April stressing such a continuing point about how he was a father now and he had responsibilities that Casey wound up giving up the argument altogether. But, despite their various problems and occasional tiffs, the two spouses were very happy together, with both themselves and their new baby girl.  
However, there was still one major problem that the Jones's needed solving, one that they needed the help of their closest friends to solve.

One warm and sunny afternoon, April came to the lair with baby Summer in tow to ask the four brothers a massive favour. As soon as she had arrived, Mikey had bolted out of the dojo in excitement, dropping his weapons and ignoring the angered shouts of Raph and Leo. After quite a bit of protesting and arguing he was eventually heaved back into the Dojo just as Donnie emerged from his lab with coffee cup in hand. Greeting April with a smile, the seated themselves in the kitchen as April laid down her request.

"Huh? You want us to babysit Summer?" Donatello questioned with raised eyebrows. Breathing a somewhat tired sigh, April continued.

"I'm sorry, I know it's last minute, but Casey's working today and I have an appointment up at the hospital" Stepping back from the kitchen counter, Donatello rubbed the back of his neck as he analysed the situation. He could hear the sounds of weapons clashing and fighting coming from the dojo, indicators that his brothers were of course still training. Sudden images of Leo and Raph arguing and Mickey trying to feed the baby pizza appeared in his mind, as well as a horrid image of what might happen if the infant somehow managed crawled her way into his lab. Swallowing, he replied in a somewhat wary tone.

"We'd be happy to do it of course, but are you sure that we're the best people to be looking after Summer?" Leaning towards the baby carrier, April gently stroked the head of her baby daughter and thought for a moment. Then, with a bright smile, she nodded.

"Of course, you guys are family after all" Upon hearing this phrase, the purple-masked genius let out a sigh and agreed that they would gladly watch the baby. After laying down some guidelines and some helpful advice, April left in a hurry as she was running late. Thus leaving Donatello alone with baby Summer. Clearing his throat, Donnie turned to face the infant with a warm smile.

"Well looks like you're stuck with us for now huh?" Summer merely blinked in response, still being too young to speak. Chuckling to himself, the family genius didn't notice the blue-masked leader standing behind him until he spoke.

"Hey Donnie, was that April just no-" Leo stopped mid-sentence as he laid eyes on the infant girl, clearly happy to see her again. He of course noticed that something was different from the previous visits, but he couldn't quite put together what.  
Then it hit him, this was the first time baby Summer had been in the lair alone under their supervision, and while it gave him a sense of warmth and pride, Leo also felt a slight uneasiness creeping up the back of his neck.

"Donnie, why is Summer here by herself? Where's Casey and April?" Taking a deep breath, Donatello was about to begin explaining when the other two brothers emerged from within the dojo. Not surprising to any of them, Raph was pissed off at something as usual.

"I told you that I was sorry!" Mikey pleaded, his big blue eyes wide. Growling lowly, Raph paced a few steps in front of his younger brother and was about to shout at him when he noticed the stern look on Leo's face. Frowning, he backed away from Mikey and sneered at the leader.

"What ya' glaring at fearless?"

Rolling his eyes, Leonardo gestured his thumbs towards the still awake Summer. Face lighting up, Mikey rushed over to the young child and started to wave and pull all kinds of faces in his normal persevering attempts to make her laugh. Ever since he had first been introduced, the orange masked turtle had been filled with an overwhelming urge to make Summer happy, as well as to make her smile. Shaking his head at his brother's actions, Raph eyes scanned around the room, searching for the familiar sight of the Jones's. Once he realised that they were not there, he was filled with the same questions that Leo had possessed previously.

Turning to face Donatello, the Sai-weilder frowned once again.

"Don, where's Case and April?" All three of his brothers were staring at him by this point, leaving the genius with no choice but to explain what was going on.

*I hope there's still coffee in the cupboard...*


	3. Chapter 3

TMNT: Family Bonds

Chapter 3: Raphael's Meditation

*/AN/*

Hello my lovely readers! First off, let me say a huugge apology for not updating in so long! I have been incredibly busy lately and I haven't been able to get on FanFiction at all, but now I'm back, yay!

I want to give a heads up. This story WILL have a few time-skips at certain points, but it's only because I have had the chance to watch some more of 2003 again (As well as **FINALLY** make a start on 2012) and in turn have been able to expand the over-arching story that I had originally planned. I decided that rather than focusing on just one element (E.g, the Turtle's babysitting) I wanted an actual lengthy story of merit. If that annoys you, then please, feel free to stop reading at any time.

With that, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Well, as is probably blatantly obvious, the afternoon that followed was not a smooth one by any means. From Donatello's infinite hours of research on infant nutrition and psychology being completely shattered by Mikey asking if they could feed the baby pizza, to Raphael and Leonardo arguing over what the white powder April had left in a plastic container. One thought that it was for treating rashes while the other **insisted** that it was talcum power. (It was actually powdered baby formula, as later pointed out by an extremely agitated Donatello). Things got so out of hand between the four brothers that the moment April returned, all of them except from Donnie disbanded in a flash, trying to find some space between them before they tore each other's heads off. Michelangelo went off to play one of his many video games and Leonardo retreated to his bedroom to meditate for an hour or so (As was his normal routine) and shortly after April left with Summer to return home, Donnie went back to his lab to work on his latest piece of machinery for the Battleshell.

The only turtle who didn't move from the kitchen to go somewhere was Raphael, who was now seated alone at the table with a glass of water, trying to soothe his rough and dry throat (It was hoarse from the rather heated 'discussion' he had had with Leonardo earlier)

*Jesus Leo, I know ya like to be right but damn! I don't think I've ever seen ya so wound up* The sai-wielder thought to himself with a bemused smirk on his face as the cool drink slipped past his lips and down his throat. Swallowing and putting the glass back down, Raph stared at his reflection in the clear water, a frown forming on his face. He was so used to using that particular expression that it was almost commonplace, yet something inside of him made him feel much more agitated than usual from whenever he and his brothers usually argued with each other. Anger, adrenaline and rage were normally what pumped through him after he had been in a fight, be it physical or verbal. On this occasion however, he was feeling a different range of feelings entirely, and he didn't like it. He knew that he needed to calm down, to clear his head before he interacted with his family again, or he'd just turn into even more of a hothead than usual. (Much to Mikey's dismay)

Drumming his fingers in a frantic rhythm against the table, Raphael gave out a sigh mixed with a grunt as he fought to come up with an idea to both unwind and chill out. Normally, he'd hit the punching bags to release some steam and get the fight out of him,...but this time he felt that he needed to do something different..something a bit less...rough.

*Damn. I must be coming down with something, I'm acting like Leo!* Raph thought with a shake of his head. Rising from the table, Raphael cracked his knuckles and focused his bright green eyes on his desired location. The dojo.

* * *

Sliding open the paper doors, Raphael stepped into the dojo and glanced around, eyeing the various equipment and weaponry scattered about the place. Normally, he would have had his sai's out of his belt set to stab away at one of the dummies in a millisecond, but now he wasn't up for it. He could_ feel_ that there was something inside of him that was annoying him, but his mind was too jumbled and messed to find out what. Burying his face in his hands, Raphael growled in anguish as he spent a good few minutes trying to figure out what to do. Then it hit him.

*I guess I could meditate for a bit. God, I really am startin' to sound like ol' Fearless* A snort left his mind at this thought as a ridiculous image of him and Leo switching masks came to his head. Slapping himself back to his senses, Raphael gave a quick glance behind him, making sure that none of his brothers were about to burst in on him. Turning towards the far wall, he gave out a sigh and raised his arms above his head to start some stretching exercises.

He had always found meditation difficult in comparison to his leader brother, who Raph knew could sit in a calm trance for hours on end. Whereas he on the other hand found it agonizing, but it wasn't because he wanted to move and jump around crazy like Mikey loved to do. No. It was because no matter how hard he tried to calm down and relax, there was always something on his mind that bugged him enough to keep him out of it. Sometimes it was a jackass thug he had failed to catch and who's attitude had severely pissed him off, whereas other times it had been his irritation (along with the rest of his brothers) at not being allowed up to the surface. And sometimes he could feel angry over absolutely nothing at all.

He hated it. He knew he didn't have the excuse of being hyperactive like Mikey, or having a head full of too many genius ideas like Donnie. Hell! Even Leo could argue that he was under the stress of being the team leader! He had nothing, and was always stuck smack bang in the middle, looking like a total insensitive jerk.

*Damn...are ma joints always this tense?* He thought to himself as he continued to stretch out slowly, relieving the tension in his built-up muscles. Being sure to keep his breathing slow and steady, Raphael sighed as he tried to clear his clouded thoughts. All sorts of feelings and emotions flooded through him that he didn't quite understand as he carried on the labouring task of slowly relaxing his tense body. It was strange to him, as far from feeling pissed off or annoyed like normal, he felt calm, happy and anxious all at once.

So wound up in his thoughts was the dark-skinned turtle that he did not notice the familiar figure of his father and sensei silently glide into the dojo. Observing closely, Splinter watched his son in silence for a minute or so before speaking in his usual wizened tone.

"Is something troubling you my son?" Flinching a little at the sudden sound of his father's voice, Raphael stifled a heavy sigh and turned to face the grey-furred rat. He quickly remembered something else that ticked him off. It was that he could never quite read what Splinter was thinking from his face. The old master had perfected masking his thoughts and emotions, keeping them hidden from his face, something Raphael constantly failed to do, and it annoyed him to no end. Unsure of what to say in response to his sensei, Raphael decided to try and change the subject.

"Where's Leo, Don an' Mikey?" With the slightest bit of humour in his eyes, Splinter wrinkled his nose and gave a small smile.

"In the living room fighting over the television remote. When I last checked Michelangelo was winning" Raphael gave a chuckle at this, but quickly grew silent again when he saw that his father wasn't going to let his previous question go unanswered. Walking over to the middle of the dojo, Splinter seated himself down with his legs folded and beckoned the red-masked turtle over towards him. Obeying this order willingly, Raphael wandered over to his master and knelt down in front of him with his head lowered. Laying his cane down to the side, Splinter cleared his throat and spoke gently.

"Now my son, tell me what it is that is troubling you"

Raphael immediately tensed up, his fingers curling up into a tight fist. He ran through the thoughts in his head, trying to take what he was feeling and form it into words. So much rushed through him at once that he felt like he was about to burst. Then, after a very calming and much-needed breath, Raphael opened his eyes and answered his father.

"...Y-You know how, Case an' April have been wantin' to start a family for a while? An', now they have" Splinter said nothing, but nodded, indicating to his second-oldest son that he should continue. Taking a moment to breathe again, Raphael continued.

"Well...I wis really excited about becoming a sorta uncle an' all...but..." Sensing that his son was having difficulty in getting his thoughts out, Splinter gave a calm response.

"Go on, my son" Giving a nod, Raphael finished his thought.

"But...I saw how good the other guys were at takin' care of her today,...an' I didn't know how ta do anythin' like usual, an'...I saw how calm Leo wis, and how much Donnie already knew 'bout all of it-an' heck! Mikey did a better job than me!..." The grey-furred rat again said nothing as the red-masked turtle took a brief pause to further compose himself.

"I know I'm a hothead all the goddam time...an' I honestly think everyone's used to it by now but...I jist can't help but think...'What if the little kiddo grows up hatin me cause of ma attitude? An' worse!...What if she's scared of me?..." Eyes flying wide in realisation, Raphael lowered his head again. It had all came rushing out. All the strange feelings that had been confusing him had been revealed to him...and he felt just slightly ashamed by all of it. Luckily, the shame was short lived as the old grey rat rose to his feet, picked up his cane and addressed his second oldest with warmth in his voice.

"My son...none of your brothers truly knew what they were doing today. Taking care of a child is no easy task. Believe me, I know" There was something about the way his father said that particular line that made Raphael want to give a snort of nostalgic laughter. Breathing a sigh and shaking his head, Splinter moved to put his son's fear to rest.

"But in answer to your fears, I feel I must say this. It seems impossible to me that young Summer will grow to be afraid of you"

"Huh?" Raphael asked, blinking in confusion. With a smile, Splinter gave a nod in reply.

"I could see compassion in your eyes when you first held her in your arms Raphael. You are not bound by merely your temper, there is far more to you my son, remember that" There was a brief pause of nothing being said, until the red-masked turtle stood up and broke the silence.

"...Hai Sensei"

With that, Raphael bowed towards his master before turning to leave the dojo, a secret smile hidden on his mouth. The first thing he saw when he left was Mikey bouncing up and down on the couch, remote control in hand, pumping the air and with a huge grin was cheering-

"Victory!"

* * *

*/AN/*

Ok! Hope that was good enough guys! Please let me know what you thought of it! Till next time!

EagleHeart75


	4. Chapter 4

Yo! What is up, internet?!

(Ugh)

Hi there, everybody!

After a two YEAR hiatus, I am glad to announce that the story will be coming back!

So sorry to all of my readers, I've just been super, super busy as of late.

But, I'm happy to inform you that the next chapter will be up soon. And I'm also here to announce that I shall also be updating on a fortnightly basis :)

Thanks so much for your patience, guys. Hope all's well :)

Catch you later!

EagleHeart75

Preview.

/**/

With the slightest hint of a chuckle, Leonardo sheathed his twin Ninjaken swords into his belt. Bending at the knee, he smiled at his earnest, eager young apprentice.

"So, then. Gakusei**.** Are you ready to learn?"

A pair of bright, teal-green eyes beamed back at him. The response to his question was a wide, grinning smile, followed by a quick, chirpy retort.

"Mm. I'll learn the best I can, Uncle Le-"

With the slightest hint of a blush, the five year old stopped, blinked and corrected herself.

"I mean, uh-..."

The blue-masked turtle laughed, moving to (gently) correct the child's mistake.

"Sensei" Leonardo said, calmly.

With a knowing nod and another blink, the five year old smiled again.

"_Sensei" _


End file.
